Artificial denture or plate



July 23, 1929. E. w. HEWSON ARTIFICIAL DENTURE OR PLATE Filed April 9, 1928 A Tia/ 526.

Patented July 23, 19290 cairn grates 5 nnnrn L. w. nnwson, or BUrrALoQNnw YORK.

ARTIFICIAL IDENTURE 0R PLATE A plication filed'April 9, 1928. Serial No. 268,460. r

This invention relates to artificial dentures or plates which are made of plastic compositions molded into thedesired shape to fit the gums.

The objects of this invention are to provide an artificial denture or plate of this kind in which the portions which contact with the gums are madeof a soft or yielding material so as to preventinjury to the gums or portions of the mouth with which they contact; also to provide an artificial denture of this kind in operate with portions of the mouth or jaw to assist in securing the artificial denture in its correct position; also to provide an artificial denture with a lining or coating of yielding material capable of cooperating with portions of the mouth to retain the denture in place by suction; also to improve artificial dentures of this kind in other respects hereinafter specified. r

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective view of an artificial denture or plate embodying this invention.

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view thereof.

Fig; 3 is an end view of one of the distal ends of the plate or artificial denture.

Figs. 4 and 5 are transverse sections taken respectively on lines 4-4 and 55 of Fig. 2.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings as used in connection with an artificial denture or plate for use on the lower jaw but it will beunderstood that it is not intended to limit the invention to the particular kind of artificial denture illusas heretofore made, these compositions were.

uniform throughout the cross section of the portions of the artificial denture or plate and since the composition had to be of comparatively hard material, which contacted with the gums and frequently produced irritation and pain.

In order to remedy this condition I have provided on the inner surface of the artificial denture, i. e., on the surface contacting with the gum, a composition of soft or flexible material which forms a cushion or pad. This soft lining is preferably made of a soft rubber and when the other portions of the artificial denture are made of vulcanite or hard rubber, the soft lining and the hard rubber may be vulcanized together andthus leave no crack or space between the two materials in which bacteria orforeign matter may collect. This which the distal ends are formed so as to 00- f soft lining isrepresented by 12, and at'the intermediate portions of the artificial denture may vary in thickness as desired to produce the necessary cushioning effect, without materially decreasing the strength ofthe hard rubber or other hard material of the artificial denture. For example, as is illustrated in Fig. 5, the soft rubber 12, which is indicated by lighter section lines, may be approximately one-half to one-third of the thickness of the artificial denture. a a In the making 4 of artificial dentures or plates of this kind the mold may be formed. in the usual manner and the various kinds of soft and hard rubber may be placed into the mold in the usual manner and the entire denture is cured or vulcanized at one time. The pad or cushioning material may however be cemented or otherwise secured to the hard portions of the plate or artificial denture.

The artificial denture or plate described has the advantage that the soft or yielding l J lining conforms itselr to the contour or the gum and avoids pain or discomfort to the;

user which was heretofore due to the pressure of the hard artificial denture on pertions of the gum. By the use of a'soft fiexible lining it is not necessary to have the artificial denture fit the gum with the same degree of accuracy as was heretofore necessary in connection with artificial dentures made of hard unyielding material and furthermore changes in the shape of thegum which frequently take place after extraction of teeth will not so readily cause the artificial denture to be uncomfortable or painful .to'the user, is the case with artificial dentures made of hard material. The artificial denture has t e further advantage that the soft material cooperates with portions of the gums to form suction areas or cups which tend to hold the artificial denture in place on the gum.

The lower jaw is-provided on each inner i side near the backof the mouth and below the upper part of the gums with fossa for sub- 7 maxillary gland, which fossae afiord convenient means for holding an artificial denture or plate on the lower j aw by providing rear extensions or distal ends on the artificial denture which may enter into these fossae for submaxillary glands. 'When ar tificial dentures for lower jaws are made of hard material, the distal ends cannot be formed to extend outwardly to a greater distance than is permitted by the space between the upper portions. of the gums above the mylohyoid line since otherwise the distal ends either injure the portions of the gums above these fossae when the artificial denture is p0- sitioned in the mouth, or else will be entirely prevented from passing these portions of the gums' In accordance with my invention I extend the portions 11 of hard material rearwardly to the distal ends as indicated at 16 so that'the same extend rearwardly and outwardly further than heretofore commonly used and these rear extensions of the hard material are made comparatively thin as indicated in Fig 4;, and I increase the thickness of the lining of soft or flexible material at the ends of the plate or artificial denture as indicatedat 17 in Figs. 3 and 4.

By means of this construction the distal ends of denture extend across and cover the part of the jaw between the teethand'the mylohyoid line and the extremities extend into the fossa for submaxillary gland. The

rear portions of the denture thus cover the muscles and that part of the jaw above the mylohyoid line of the lower jaw, and thus cause the artificial denture to adhere more securely to the lower jaw. The soft rubber in passing over the portions of the gums over the mylohyoid lines yields sufficiently to the portions 16 of the hard material are made thin as indicated at 16, which makes them slightly flexible, also enables these portions to 40 avoid injury to the gums and the fact'that ner surface of the artificial denture for contact with parts of the mouth and distal ends of resilientmaterial integral with said artificial denture which include relatively thin portions of hard composition and thicker portions of sott'yielding material.

2. An artificial denture having integral distal ends extending rearwardly and downwardly from the denture and outwardly from each other, and a lining of soft rubber on portions of said distal ends which engage with the portions of the jaw.

EDDIE L. w. HEWSON. 

